HISTORIC MATCH FOR THE MALTA NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM, FAROES, SPAIN AND GREECE

On this day, The Malta National Football team played the Faroe Islands in Torshavn, in a match that was the 400th ever international played by the Malta National team.

Malta played its first international game on 24 February 1957 at the Empire Stadium, losing 3-2 to Austria. That match was played in front of a capacity crowd at the old Empire Stadium. The Malta Football Association joined FIFA in 1959 and UEFA a year later. In late 1959, Malta played in the 1960 Summer Olympics African Qualifiers against Morocco and Tunisia, in which they finished last in the group with two draws and two losses. Since then, Malta has largely remained as one of Europe's weakest teams, though its fortunes have increased since late 2010s.

v Faroe Islands

Games won:	2
Games drawn:	2
Games lost:	6

Date	Match	Result	Score	Competition
30 Apr 1997	Malta v Faroe Islands	L	1-2	FIFA World Cup
08 Jun 1997	Faroe Islands v Malta	L	2-1	FIFA World Cup
18 Aug 2004	Faroe Islands v Malta	L	3-2	International Friendly
19 Nov 2013	Malta v Faroe Islands	W	3-2	International Friendly
07 Sep 2018	Faroe Islands v Malta	L	3-1	UEFA Nations League
20 Nov 2018	Malta v Faroe Islands	D	1-1	UEFA Nations League
23 Mar 2019	Malta v Faroe Islands	W	2-1	UEFA European Championship
15 Oct 2019	Faroe Islands v Malta	L	1-0	UEFA European Championship
03 Sep 2020	Faroe Islands v Malta	L	3-2	UEFA Nations League
17 Nov 2020	Malta v Faroe Islands	D	1-1	UEFA Nations League

The Spain national team played their 700th international match in history, this time in Solna against Sweden. 

15 Oct 2019

Sweden v Spain

D

1-1

UEFA European Championship

The 600th ever game of the Greece national football team was held in Marousi vs Bosnia & Herzegovina on October 15th 2019 at the Athens Olympic Sports Centre Spyros Louis in Marousi, Greece.

SIEG HEIL! and A CLICHE!!

Mark Bosnich, yes the goalkeeper, made a name for himself in many ways and mostly, positively. In 1996, on this day, he showed that his comic timing was as bad as his ability to say "no", when he performed the "Nazi Salute" at White Hart Lane, in front of 40,000 Spurs fans (mainly), many Jewish. The Villa goalkeeper claimed it was a "joke" directed at Jurgen Klinsmann, who had left the club a year earlier. The real joke was on him as he had to pay an FA Fine for £1,000....actually not a lot considering his status and earnings! The chaps back at the Association obviously "bought into" the Aussie's, "Its political correctness gone mad" defence!!

Gareth Southgate did not show any "comic timing" when in 1998, on this date, England won 3-0 over part-timers, Luxembourg, in a Euro 2000 qualifier. Hardly what you would expect, if things were being taken seriously!! The "minnows"...meaning Luxembourg!! had missed a fifth minute penalty which might have changed the evening! It was about time that.... the cliche..."there's no easy games in international football any more!"...... really started to pick up "steam". Must have been dodgey..even Beckham got a yellow!

 

Wednesday, 14th October 1998, 8:30pm

•  
• Luxembourg 0 - 3 England
• Euro 2000 Qualifying Group 5
• Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• Michael Owen, 19'
• Alan Shearer, 38' (pen)
• Gareth Southgate, 88'

• 1David Seaman
  
  
• 2Rio Ferdinand
  
  
• 3Phil Neville
  
  
• 4David Batty
  
  
• 5Sol Campbell
  
  
• 6Gareth Southgate
  
  
• 7David Beckham
  
   21'
• 8Darren Anderton
  
  63'
• 9Alan Shearer
  
  (c)
• 10Michael Owen
  
  
• 11Paul Scholes
  
  77'
• 15Rob Lee
  
  63'
• 17Ian Wright
  
  77'
• David Beckham received 87 Yellows in PL. LaLiga, Serie A and Lique....+ 187 yellows in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Lique 1 + 19 Yellows in his international career.

MERSEYSIDE DERBY 1894+

 One of the greatest DERBIES was played out for the first time, on this date in 1894. The two "most famous" Liverpool clubs met in what was known as the "THE FRIENDLY DERBY" (and still is!!) in a match that "polarises" families, friends, colleagues and lovers!! across Merseyside. Everton drew "first blood" beating the Reds 3-0 at Goodison Park, two years aftet the "Toffees" had moved out of Anfield, the ground they shared with their "neighbours", following a rent dispute.

It is the longest running top-flight derby in England, with its first official match being played on 13th October 1894. when Everton hosted Liverpool and won 3-0 in a Leaue Division One match.                On November 17th there was a 2-2 draw played at Liverpool.

The derby has been played continuously since the 1962-3. Part of the rivalry is due to the close proximity of the two clubs' home grounds, being less than a mile apart and within sight of each other across Stanley Park, when Everton played at Goodison Park; they now play their home matches at Hill Dickinson Stadium in Vauxhall, while Liverpool still play theirs at Anfield.

The Merseyside derby was traditionally referred to as the "friendly derby" because of the large number of families in the city with both Everton and Liverpool supporters, and it was one of the few that did not enforce total fan segregation. The 1984 Football League Cup Final at Wembley was nicknamed the "friendly final" due to almost all sections of the ground being mixed and supporters of both teams banding together to chant "Merseyside". 

The 1986 FA Cup Final witnessed similar scenes of solidarity. Since the mid-1980s, the rivalry has intensified on and off the field, and has seen more red cards given than any other game since the creation of the Premier League!! In the 2010s, the derby was dominated by Liverpool, arguably becoming the most one-sided in the English top-flight. Despite this, it has become more competitive in recent years.

Everton v Liverpool

Games won:	84
Games drawn:	87
Games lost:	128

Matches between Everton/Liverpool and Tranmere Rovers (nice badge below!), based in Birkenhead on the other side of the River Mersey, are also classed as Merseyside derbies, but as Tranmere have spent all of their history outside the top flight, competitive matches are a rarity. (more on Tranmere tomorrow!)

They have occasionally faced Everton and Liverpool in cup competitions. Their last meeting with both clubs came in the FA Cup in 2001. Tranmere caused an upset by beating Everton 3–0 in the fourth round, before losing 4–2 to Liverpool in the quarter-finals!!

As of 19 April 2026

Competition	Played	Everton wins	Draws	Liverpool wins	Everton goals	Liverpool goals
Football League First Division	146	48	44	54	181	203
Premier League	68	11	26	31	59	96
FA Cup	25	7	6	12	28	40
Football League/EFL Cup	4	1	1	2	1	2
FA Charity/Community Shield	3	1	1	1	2	2
Football League Super Cup	2	0	0	2	2	7
Total	248	68	78	102	273	350

TIME FOR THE VASE

A list of all the previous FA Vase Finals, from 1974-5 until the present day

Romford won the 2023-4 FA Vase title at Wembley.

All of the FA Vase Finals to have been held since the competition's first campaign in the 1974-75 season can be seen below. 

1974-75: Hoddesdon Town 2-1 Epsom & Ewell
1975-76: Billericay Town 1-0 Stamford
1976-77: Billericay Town 2-1 Sheffield (Replay)
1977-78: Blue Star 2-1 Barton Rovers
1978-79: Billericay Town 4-1 Almondsbury Greenway
1979-80: Stamford 2-0 Guisborough Town
1980-81: Whickham 3-2 Willenhall Town
1981-82: Forest Green Rovers 3-0 Rainworth Miners Welfare
1982-83: VS Rugby 1-0 Halesowen Town
1983-84: Stansted 2-0 Stamford
1984-85: Halesowen Town 3-1 Fleetwood Town
1985-86: Halesowen Town 3-0 Southall
1986-87: St Helens Town 3-2 Warrington Town
1987-88: Colne Dynamoes 1-0 Emley
1988-89: Tamworth 3-0 Sudbury Town (Replay)
1989-90: Yeading 1-0 Bridlington Town (Replay)
1990-91: Guiseley 3-1 Gresley Rovers (Replay)
1991-92: Wimborne Town 5-3 Guiseley
1992-93: Bridlington Town 1-0 Tiverton Town
1993-94: Diss Town 2-1 Taunton Town
1994-95: Arlesey Town 2-1 Oxford City
1995-96: Brigg Town 3-0 Clitheroe
1996-97: Whitby Town 3-0 North Ferriby United
1997-98: Tiverton Town 1-0 Tow Law Town
1998-99: Tiverton Town 1-0 Bedlington Terriers
1999-00: Deal Town 1-0 Chippenham Town
2000-01: Taunton Town 2-1 Berkhamsted Town
2001-02: Whitley Bay 1-0 Tiptree United
2002-03: Brigg Town 2-1 AFC Sudbury
2003-04: Winchester City 2-0 AFC Sudbury
2004-05: Didcot Town 3-2 AFC Sudbury
2005-06: Nantwich Town 3-1 Hillingdon Borough
2006-07: Truro City 3-1 AFC Totton
2007-08: Kirkham & Wesham 2-1 Lowestoft Town
2008-09: Whitley Bay 2-0 Glossop North End
2009-10: Whitley Bay 6-1 Wroxham
2010-11: Whitley Bay 3-2 Coalville Town
2011-12: Dunston UTS 2-0 West Auckland Town
2012-13: Spennymoor Town 2-1 Tunbridge Wells
2013-14: Sholing 1-0 West Auckland Town
2014-15: North Shields 2-1 Glossop North End 
2015-16: Hereford 1-4 Morpeth Town
2016-17: Cleethorpes 0-4 South Shields
2017-18: Stockton 0-1 Thatcham Town
2018-19: Chertsey Town 3-1 Cray Valley (PM)
2019-20: Hebburn Town 3-0 Consett.
2020-21: Warrington Rylands 3-2 Binfield
2021-22: Newport Pagnell Town 3-0 Littlehampton Town
2022-23: Ascot 1-0 Newport Pagnell Town
2023-24: Romford 3-0 Great Wakering Rovers
2024-25: AFC Whyteleafe 1-2 Whitstable Town
2025-26: AFC Stoneham 0-0 Cockfosters (4-2 on penalties) 

Shares

OK...ITS ONLY 68 YEARS AGO

 

If  you were making your footballing "managerial" debut, would you have dreamed and hoped for the debut that Bill Nicholson made on his introduction to managership at Spurs??                                       

On Saturday 11th October 1958, in his first match in charge of Tottenham - in fact his first match as manager of any club - Bill saw his new side, The Spurs, defeat Everton 10-4 in a First Division match at White Hart Lane. So it was downhill from then on....! Today the two meet...presently 0-0 at h.t. Spurs v Everton in history:

Games won:	74
Games drawn:	61
Games lost:	58

Recent form (today) would heavily favour Tottenham at home, though Everton have been tough to beat in 2026 with an unbeaten start. 

Across 117 Premier League meetings, Tottenham hold the edge with 68 wins compared to Everton’s 51, plus 58 draws. Their first FA Cup meeting was in February 6th 1904. Spurs won 1-2 away

There have been a few "other" results, for example in the Screen Sports Super Cup! A bit more recent!

Spurs have been especially strong at home, winning five straight against Everton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, keeping clean sheets in four of the last six home meetings. 

Everton’s away record at Spurs is poor — just one win in their last 16 Premier League visits, losing the last four by an aggregate 13-1. BUT the result this season (yes, yesterday) ended in a dull 0-0, including a serious VAR decision. They next meet in the P.L. 2027, on March 20th. We wait with baited breath!!

MR ARSENAL

Toni Alexander Adams (born 10 October 1966) is an English former player and manager. Adams played for Arsenal and England, captaining both teams. Known as "Mr. Arsenal", he spent his entire career of 19 years as a centre-back there, making 672 total appearances and winning four English league titles. He is considered one of Arsenal's greatest-ever players and is also included in the Football League 100 Legends.

When his playing career finished, Adams went into football management, spending periods in charge of Wycombe Wanderers, Portmouth, Azerbeijani side Gabala and Spanish side Genada.

From early in his career, Adams was an alcoholic. He was sentenced to four months in prison for driving while four times over the limit for blood alcohol, after crashing his car. From 1996 he recovered completely and became involved in helping sportspeople with drink, drug or gambling addictions by founding the Sporting Chance Clinic.

Born in Romford, Greater London, Adams grew up in Dagenham and was a pupil at Hunters Hall Primary School from 1971 to 1978 and then Eastbrook Comprehensive from 1978 to 1983. After beginning as an apprentice at Crystal Palace, he signed for Manchester City in 1979 for £250,000, then a record for a teenager. (belowTony in 2017)

Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1983–2002	Arsenal	504	(32)
International career
1983–1984	England U17	13	(5)
1985	England Youth	1	(0)
1985–1986	England U21	5	(1)
1989-1990	England B	4	(1)
1987–2000	England	66	(5)
Managerial career
2003–2004	Wycombe Wanderers
2008–2009	Portsmouth
2010–2011	Gabala
2017	Granada
* Club domestic league appearances and goals